Top 5 Must-Have Technologies for Small Business

Running a small business isn’t a cakewalk, and it can be especially difficult if you are just starting out in the industry. As you move forward, unanticipated complications and roadblocks may appear out of nowhere. You may have to tackle such challenges every so often. Limited budget, manpower, and time are some of the factors that will make your job harder. As workload starts to increase and bills start to pile up, you may feel like you are losing the battle. However, with the help of a strong team and the right set of modern technologies, you will be able to overcome hurdles and get closer to achieving your goals. Take a look at some of these technologies that today’s small businesses cannot do without:

Vocus, the former Maryland-based software company that has now merged with Cision, has come up with some useful tools and technologies for small businesses. One of the most noteworthy of them all is Buying Signals, which scours through various social media platforms to find out what particular products and services users are mostly searching for. This tool also helps you to connect to leads that will be most relevant to your business. For example, say you are a dentist, and someone from your city posts a tweet about a toothache, Buying Signals will alert you of the same. What better way to reach out to buyers/clients when they need your products/services the most?

Most small businesses suffer because they fail to remain organized. The Neat Scanner helps startups to track expenses and manage receipts with ease. It eliminates clutter and helps you operate more efficiently. Instead of keeping multiple folders for business cards and paperwork, you can directly feed those documents into your Neat Scanner, and it will scan, categorize, organize, and store them within minutes! You can also load the scans onto your cloud-based filing systems, which will give you access whenever and wherever you need!

Looking for a smarter, less expensive, and more eco-friendly replacement of paper-based forms such as work orders, invoices, checklists and expense reports? With Canvas, you can turn these paper forms into mobile apps that you can access via your Smartphones and tablets. And it only takes a few minutes! Canvas apps have already become popular in various sectors such as construction, healthcare, and education. Through these digital forms, you can collect information on the go, and also share the data securely with colleagues and customers.

Struggling to tackle customer support related problems? When working with a stringent budget, maintaining a dedicated customer care team can be difficult. However, failing to attend to customers’ queries may result in loss of leads and sales. Since online customer care and phone support are so pricey, technology like viClone is the best option for small businesses. The virtual agents have been designed keeping small businesses in mind. viClone agents support over 35 languages, and they also have self-learning capabilities. You can configure your virtual agent to answer 15 to 25 frequently asked questions that your customers’ usually have. This way, you not only get to save money, but you also get to keep your customers satisfied!

Functionality: Low-cost videoconferencing across a range of devices and platforms

Approximate cost: $299 per port/month

You need videoconferencing tools when communicating with clients or remote staff members. Some businesses need to use these tools on a daily basis. However, most of the high-class videoconferencing tools are quite expensive. Free tools, on the other hand, do not perform as well as you would like. To strike a balance between the two and to offer small businesses low-cost videoconferencing, Blue Jeans Network designed its service. Blue Jeans videoconferencing works on different conferencing platforms and across a range of devices. All you need to do is schedule the meeting and send the link that will connect all parties to Blue Jeans.

Entrepreneurs today have lots to opportunities to make their small business grow. With these modern technologies, the journey towards success becomes a lot smoother. Stay tuned for more updates!